Who Is Stalking You Online

Nothing in life is free and that is particularly true of the Internet. Everyone wants free content, free apps and free email but there’s a trade-off: privacy.

Ever wonder why ads follow you around the Internet or retailers suggest items online that actually make sense to you? It’s because free means advertisers get to know everything about you and your shopping habits.

“The Internet is basically advertising driven just like the days before cable TV,” says Vincent Steckler, chief executive of security software company Avast. “Any time you search for something or shop online different providers are tracking what you are doing and remembering.”

According to Robin Wilton, the identity and privacy director at The Internet Society, the nonprofit organization that advocates for a safe/open Internet, unbeknownst to many consumers is the ecosystem of companies on the other side of a web browser that make a living monetizing data about you. You may think you are just searching for something on Google or shopping on Amazon, but you are actually being brought into this ecosystem via cookies and the sharing of your data. “The Internet is watching you just as much as you’re watching it,” he says.

While many consumers don’t mind that Google (GOOGL) reads their email and serves up adds based on that, or that Facebook (FB) is tracking your online movements, for those people who still value privacy there are ways to reduce your digital footprint and get the retail stalkers off your back. From clearing out your cookies to browsing in private, here’s how.

Internet cookies do the stalking

Online shopping has taken convenience to the next level but it also opens you up to stalking by retailers thanks to so-called cookies. Cookies are small pieces of data that are sent from the Website you visit and stored in your browser. Every time you go to that website, your browser sends the cookie back, providing the website with your previous activity. “It’s all about the cookies” in your browser, says Sean Sullivan, a security advisor for F-Secure, the Internet security company. “Hundreds or even thousands of cookies can accumulate if you do nothing.” According to Sullivanit’s a good idea to delete your Internet history every so often as well as your cookies. Wiltson says you can even set up your browser to wipe cookies every time you close it.

Do your due diligence

Before you download a free app or create a free email account, experts say to weigh how much your privacy matters with getting something on the cheap. If it does bother you that some of these services are sharing or using your data to make money then find providers who may cost a little more but will protect your identity online. Most companies lay out what they will do with your data in the fine print, so make sure to check that out.

Create a new persona

If you don’t like to be bombarded with ads or you can’t resist spending money when a deal does show up in your inbox, a way to avoid it altogether is to create a new Internet persona, says Wilton. Doing that can reduce your risks for all sorts of tracking and nefarious online activities. It’s also a good idea to set a low limit on your “online shopping credit card” just in case it falls into the wrong hands. “Using a different email and credit card for online shopping will ensure that you are only disclosing a partial personal identifier and limit you exposure to spam and financial fraud,” he says. Wilton says it can also be worthwhile to use one Internet browser for web searching and another one for online shopping so that retailers are limited in the data they can collect on you.

Enable your ‘do not track’ option

An often-forgotten about but effective feature on your browser is the ‘do not track’ option. Turn that on, and in theory websites can’t track where you are going and what you are doing online. Sullivan of F-Secure says not all Websites are willing to respect that but it can help. “If you have an Android phone, you should realize that when you are logged into Gmail on your laptop – and do a Google search – your search history will follow you (because of your Google account), and so will the ads,” he says.

"Freedom isn't free" --Colonel Walter Hitchcock
“The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.” General 'Mad Dog' James Mattis
non semper erit aestas- It will not always be summer (be prepared for hard times)!!

I use Adblock Plus, Ghostery and PrivDog. Working good since I no longer have ads coming up on pages for recent item I have looked at to buy and no more pop ups.

"There's no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws." - Ayn Rand

My Mileage Does Vary - MM

How can you be tried by your peers when 90% of the people are not your peers. - MM

Yeah, we get those ads on our desktop, our laptops are somewhat secure. I will look into those programs Mountainman mentions. And I think I'm being stalked by TV because when I was housesitting for friend last month, there were so many constant commercials for the same brand of my new laptop that I was playing on while watching TV.

"Never get so lost in the quest to seek out evil that you become unable to seek out what is good."--Me
"You know what the definition of a hero is? Someone who gets other people killed."--Zoe, Serenity
"Only fools and profiteers ASK for war."--Xena
"So no more running. I aim to misbehave."--Captain Mal, SerenityMy Amazon Author Page

C'mon guys, you guys/gals are just paranoid. Actually it is the little drones that sit outside your windows and spy on you and those black vans parked nearby listening and beaming those rays at you. That is why the foil hats are so important---LOL. Jesting aside, we and our info is farmed, sorted, and sold. It is alright though---I fool them and let my alternate "voices" run the pooter at different times--lol.

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Every time you use a regular search engine, your search data is recorded. Major search engines capture your IP address and usetracking cookies to make a record of your search terms, the time of your visit, and the links you choose - then they store that information in a giant database.

Those searches reveal a shocking amount of personal information about you, such as your interests, family circumstances, political leanings, medical conditions, and more. This information is modern-day gold for marketers,government officials, black-hat hackers and criminals - all of whom would love to get their hands on your private search data.Major search engines have quietly amassed the largest database of personal information on individuals ever collected. Unfortunately, this data can all too easily fall into the wrong hands. Consider the following story:

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That database is still searchable. It is an absolute eye-opener to see the potential for privacy nightmares.

» Enter a query and find who searched for it
» Then click on a "User ID" to find what else this user searched for

Shocked? You are not alone.When we search, we share our most private thoughts with our computers. These private thoughts should be safe.

You have a right to privacy.

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This Authority supervises the fair and lawful use and security of your personal data, to ensure your privacy today and in the future.We have the highest SSL encryption score in the Industry!

But then I may have solved that problem with the last "Bird Dog" that I buzzed off.

Yes this is a story all in itself.

Should any one feel they are being tracked, trailed or bird dogged then just keep a ledger. It either pans out or you take a trip to the White Room.

Panning out will be when all the Red Flags come togather and point you to the source. My case took me 2 years and culminated by my visits to local LEOs, Court Officers, and a few private talks with some very concerned Officials. Some really surprised folks since some were on my side and some were not. My trips made for a few interesting visit and one ended in my being tailed for a pretty long time. Gotta love small towns and knowing all the roads. Funniest time was when a Bird Dog followed me into a dead end because a low water crossing was closed that afternoon due to a storm! It was nice to snap that picture of car, driver and plates. Even more fun to walk into an office the next day and suggest they hire a better quality of Bird Dog.

Bottom line is I was aware of many poblems in our community and I was hell bent to correct what I could without destroying others.

So far things have worked out, none the less I have several secure documents in many places that have what I know and can prove.

Of course the culprits have been made aware of this and understand that should anything happen to me or mine then the material will be public.

This is a case about a self defined secret group that are nothing more than selfish predators that in public present themselves as fine up standing professionals.

C'mon guys, you guys/gals are just paranoid.

Only if your're wrong!

So for now they have been "discovered" and now limited in what they can do. Now if I could just run them out of the State!

Off-net isn't an issue for me;
Decades ago carrying large amounts of cash was part of my job (no not selling drugs) so I know a thing of three about watching my six.
Before that I was a "skip tracer", basically I found deadbeats for a living. Used to be I could find most anyone in 30 minutes with a phone and a credit card. These days its even easier. I can be verrry sneaky when I needs to be.

I had a dust-up with a troll off another forum last year who made some threatening remarks concerning my family. I was able to locate his residence (via car w/ vanity plate) and while I had him engaged in "conversation" via mobile browser, asked him if he wanted to know what side of the room his computer was on. He called BS so I tapped on the window where he was sitting. He literally screamed like a little girl and ran to the back of his apartment.

I had made my point and left. A week later he had picked up and moved and quit posting on the four forums I knew where he was.
Fool that he is, he left a forwarding address with the Apt Managers office.

A bit extreme, but effective. Be careful though, "stalking and harassing" could have some legal problems.

“Man’s mind is his basic tool of survival. Life is given to him, survival is not. His body is given to him, its sustenance is not. His mind is given to him, its content is not. To remain alive, he must act, and before he can act he must know the nature and purpose of his action. He cannot obtain his food without a knowledge of food and of the way to obtain it. He cannot dig a ditch-or build a cyclotron-without a knowledge of his aim and of the means to achieve it. To remain alive, he must think." John Galt (Ayn Rand)

Patents are not evil, profit is not a dirty word, providing for your family's future is not a sin, and what is mine is not your's just because you want it. Kellory.I have received NO secret government orders.(Watch for this notice to be removed)

“Man’s mind is his basic tool of survival. Life is given to him, survival is not. His body is given to him, its sustenance is not. His mind is given to him, its content is not. To remain alive, he must act, and before he can act he must know the nature and purpose of his action. He cannot obtain his food without a knowledge of food and of the way to obtain it. He cannot dig a ditch-or build a cyclotron-without a knowledge of his aim and of the means to achieve it. To remain alive, he must think." John Galt (Ayn Rand)

Patents are not evil, profit is not a dirty word, providing for your family's future is not a sin, and what is mine is not your's just because you want it. Kellory.I have received NO secret government orders.(Watch for this notice to be removed)

Off-net isn't an issue for me;
Decades ago carrying large amounts of cash was part of my job (no not selling drugs) so I know a thing of three about watching my six.
Before that I was a "skip tracer", basically I found deadbeats for a living. Used to be I could find most anyone in 30 minutes with a phone and a credit card. These days its even easier. I can be verrry sneaky when I needs to be.

I had a dust-up with a troll off another forum last year who made some threatening remarks concerning my family. I was able to locate his residence (via car w/ vanity plate) and while I had him engaged in "conversation" via mobile browser, asked him if he wanted to know what side of the room his computer was on. He called BS so I tapped on the window where he was sitting. He literally screamed like a little girl and ran to the back of his apartment.

I had made my point and left. A week later he had picked up and moved and quit posting on the four forums I knew where he was.
Fool that he is, he left a forwarding address with the Apt Managers office.

I had a like problem some time back. A troll was threatening me and suggesting that my time in the Mil was not honorable. Just a punk kid with some left over ideas from the Berkley Bunch from the late 60s. I’d had enough so I did a run through the www. I found this Troll was a member of a prestigious group that has a Compass and Square as part of their Icon.

It was easy to track this piece of dirt who had never served a day in anything more dangerous than a grade school crossing guard group. I also located his home address and found he was a bit off plumb. Jobless with phony work references and phony background except for the one fact most important to him.

Of course along the way I had been polite. When he continued with his on line innuendoes I posted to the Moderator. No help on that so I PM’d the Troll and made it clear that I would let him know I had other avenues I could take.

Snaky little Basted challenged me to do something about his post!

I thought about it a while, ask him to reconsider.

He replied with another snotty answer.

Knowing what meant most to the Troll I forwarded all his post and emails to the Grand Master in Washington DC.

Silence since then.

Not as good as tapping on a window pane but it worked .

Yes I look for his traits when I am on line but I guess being Bi-Polar and being on line is a bad mix for most.

A local who had the troll mentality but was nice to me and mom, finally flipped out on us a few months ago, and that is why I never had any online contact with them, I didn't want to deal with their issues 24/7. Though once they found out I was conservative they probably would have left us alone long before, they're a socialist.

"Never get so lost in the quest to seek out evil that you become unable to seek out what is good."--Me
"You know what the definition of a hero is? Someone who gets other people killed."--Zoe, Serenity
"Only fools and profiteers ASK for war."--Xena
"So no more running. I aim to misbehave."--Captain Mal, SerenityMy Amazon Author Page